The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand by McDaniel, Justin - 2014-01-07

Columbia University Press, 2014-01-07. Paperback. Used:Good.

Paperback / softback. New. Stories centering on the lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak) and the magical monk (Somdet To) are central to Thai Buddhism. Historically important and emotionally resonant, these characters appeal to every class of follower. Metaphorically and rhetorically powerful, they invite constant reimagining across time. Focusing on representations of the ghost and monk from the late eighteenth century to the present, Justin Thomas McDaniel builds a case for interpreting modern Thai Buddhist practice through the movements of these transformative figures. He follows embodiments of the ghost and monk in a variety of genres and media, including biography, film, television, drama, ritual, art, liturgy, and the Internet. Sourcing nuns, monks, laypeople, and royalty, he shows how relations with these figures have been instrumental in crafting histories and modernities. McDaniel is especially interested in local conceptions of being "Buddhist" and the formation and transmission of… Read More

Paperback / softback. New.

Columbia Univ Pr, 2013. Paperback. New. 327 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.75 inches.

Columbia Univ Pr, 2013. Paperback. New. 327 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.75 inches.

paperback. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.